Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Since 2001, the United States Department of Agriculture has issued the results of its Hunger Survey in October. This year they waited until after the mid-terms to release the 2005 figures. And that's not all that has changed. There's a lot less hunger in the report this year.

But it isn't because there is a lot less hunger in the United States. Nope. No one is "hungry" this year -- they are now "food insecure". Hope that makes you feel better. Because over 35 million, that's 35,000,000, of your fellow-citizens don't feel better. They are the re-labeled food-insecure. 12.1% of Americans often do not get enough to eat -- the food they can buy runs out before they can afford to buy more. (N.B.:The survey excludes the homeless and those in transient housing.)

The Administration is crowing that this is a reduction over the prior year (2004), when the figure was 13.2%. That is true. But, like most of what you hear out of this crowd, there's a little something more they are depending on you, and the MSM, to ignore -- every year since Bush has taken over, hunger has increased dramatically. Last year was the worst EVER; in raw numbers and percentages, there were more households hungry, excuse me, "food insecure", in 2004 than at any time since 1995 (the earliest year for which reports are available on the Department website).

So, I guess congratulations are in order. And I'm sure you'll see Tony Snow doling them out.

But, in the meantime, if you'd like to do something really, really, easy to help fight hunger -- and I mean ridiculously easy, so fucking easy that you have to have a heart made of shit and splinters not to bother to take the time to do it, go to The Hunger Site and click the bar that says "HELP FEED THE HUNGRY". For every click (one per computer, per day), corporate sponsors give money and 100% of those funds go to hunger projects -- every dime. And it doesn't cost you a penny.

Why are you still here? Go click, please. And bookmark it. Go back there every day to click again.